A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Yesterday was the 99th anniversary of the so-called "Battle" of the Wasa‘a (or as they pronounced it Down Under, "Wozzer"), when Australian and new Zealand troops stationed in Cairo and about to ship out for Gallipoli, systematically trashed the Red Light district of Cairo. It resulted in fires, destruction, and the British Army intervening to stop the largely inebriated ANZACs.

Back in 2011 I wrote a lengthy discussion of this notorious event, placing it in the context of the toleration of prostitution, the history of Cairo and the locations involved. It includes photos, quotations from memoirs and diaries, and a newspaper clip. Though I'm a day late in marking this 99th anniversary, those unfamiliar with the story may want to take a look at that account.

"Michael Collins Dunn is the editor of The Middle East Journal. He also blogs. His latest posting summarizes a lot of material on the Iranian election and offers some sensible interpretation. If you are really interested in the Middle East, you should check him out regularly."— Gary Sick, Gary's Choices

"Since we’re not covering the Tunisian elections particularly well, and neither does Tunisian media, I’ll just point you over here. It’s a great post by MEI editor Michael Collins Dunn, who . . . clearly knows the country pretty well."— alle, Maghreb Politics Review

"I’ve followed Michael Collins Dunn over at the Middle East Institute’s blog since its beginning in January this year. Overall, it is one of the best blogs on Middle Eastern affairs. It is a selection of educated and manifestly knowledgeable ruminations of various aspects of Middle Eastern politics and international relations in the broadest sense."— davidroberts at The Gulf Blog

"Michael Collins Dunn, editor of the prestigious Middle East Journal, wrote an interesting 'Backgrounder' on the Berriane violence at his Middle East Institute Editor’s Blog. It is a strong piece, but imperfect (as all things are) . . ."— kal, The Moor Next DoorThis great video of Nasser posted on Michael Collins Dunn’s blog (which is one of my favorites incidentally) ...— Qifa Nabki